Personal notice, danger is my stock and praise.
If the job's too tough for you to handle, you've got a job for me, George Valentine.
Right full detail.
Music
In a moment we'll begin tonight's adventure of George Valentine.
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Music
Now tonight's story, Seed of Destruction, the transcribed adventure of George Valentine.
Music
Dear Mr. Valentine, the name Dan Creighton must be familiar to you.
Anyone who's read a newspaper or turned on the radio in the last three weeks must react to it,
out of morbid curiosity of nothing else.
Well, I'm Mrs. Dan Creighton, and the mystery of my husband's disappearance is something that I just can't stand any longer.
I can't sleep night. I hate the sound of the doorbell for fear that it's the police or the reporters again.
And yet I rush to answer it because it might be some news of him. Good news or bad.
I almost think at this point that even bad news would be better than none.
Mr. Valentine, I'm through waiting. I want you to help me.
I'll pay you well, and believe me, the case is challenge enough for anyone.
So please come right away. Anxiously yours, Edna C. Creighton.
Music
Of course I know some of the details, Mrs. Creighton, from the newspapers.
So I want you to forget them, all of them.
Why?
All of them. I want you to start with only one fact, Mr. Valentine.
Namely?
My husband vanished into thin air without reason, without leaving a single clue.
Do you really believe that's possible, Mrs. Creighton?
For when you and Mr. Valentine start checking for yourselves, Miss Brooks, I think you'll be convinced it can be.
Well, then there isn't much point in our even tackling it, is there?
Oh, but there is.
Hmm.
Well, for one thing, I know you in your reputation, Mr. Valentine.
You couldn't resist a puzzler like this if you tried.
Too shamed, Mrs. Creighton.
Point number two, there's always the seed of destruction.
I beg your pardon?
Part of a German proverb that my grandmother used to quote to me when I was a child.
The proverb, the seed of destruction is within all of us, and give it room to grow and nothing can stop it.
That's a cheerful thought.
As a matter of fact, it is, because it will destroy that criminal.
Are you sure there's a criminal involved, Mrs. Creighton?
Dan didn't leave me of his own accord. He didn't. Something happened to him.
I see.
And all I start with is the picture of Mr. Creighton, is that it?
Oh, it's the one that I always liked best.
He's a very good-looking man.
Is that so strange? Why shouldn't he be?
Well, I, well, I, I just, I was a very handsome young lady when we were married, believe it or not.
I, oh, I'm sorry. I, but I've been under terrible pressure.
I understand.
You will try and find Mr. Creighton, won't you, Mr. Valentine?
Yes, yes, Mrs. Creighton. And I'll respect your wish.
I'll check every step of this case for myself, taking nothing for granted.
Not even anything you said to me, right?
Quite right, Mr. Valentine.
No, Valentine, no.
Nobody's timing can be that perfect. It can't be.
Okay, Johnson, okay. It's too early in the year to make a bid for an Oscar.
Yes, Mr. Townsend, what's bothering you?
For three weeks, I'm safe on the sidelines, out of reach of fire and brickpats.
Then today, today, the Commissioner hands me in homicide the Creighton case,
because missing persons can't do anything and the papers are writing them and because...
And I get hired by Mrs. Creighton.
Why, that should be cause for celebration, Johnson.
You know, shoulder to shoulder, two heads are better than one, all that sort of thing.
That's better, see, George, the good lieutenant is normal again.
All right, seriously, Johnson, what are the facts? Simple hard facts.
Darn few. Creighton and his wife's brother, Stan Collins, own a bunch of small movie houses in this section of the country.
Creighton was visiting one of their theaters in Ridgely Plains when he got a call from a party, or Parties Unknown.
Walked out to meet him, or rather her, with a big happy grin on his face.
Was never seen again.
The phone call was definitely from a woman, huh? The papers didn't have that.
Papers don't know everything.
No leads so far.
No, a hundred of those, but not a good solid one on the bunch.
And so homicide gets called in.
And it's gonna be a big headache. If Dan Creighton's been dead for three weeks, where's the body?
The boys, the missing persons are smart. They looked high and low.
Found nothing.
Yeah. And Valentine.
You know that getting rid of a body is about the hardest job there is in the whole world.
Not to be obvious. A murderer could have buried for Mr. Creighton.
Ridgely Plains is a highly-choice suburb. Every inch of ground is carefully cultivated.
No one has been seen doing any extracurricular digging.
Oh.
Mr. Johnson, good luck to you on your future search in Ridgely Plains.
We'll probably see you there sometime.
Sometime. Sometime.
Do you have anything more important to do?
As a matter of fact, I have. I promised Mr. Creighton to take no shortcuts, but check every step of the case myself.
Come along, Bruxy.
Dead?
Ah, you gave me a scare, Mr. Valentine.
I simply said that's one assumption the police must make, Mr. Collins.
Yes, yes, I suppose so.
It would be a terrible shock to Edna. She'd build her whole life around Dan.
You've noticed that, haven't you, Miss Brooks?
Yes, I have.
Mr. Collins, I understand that you and Mr. Creighton have been having some different situations.
At least about the way the future of this business should be run.
I gather that you've snooped around here enough to get that information?
Well, in my business, this kind of snooping is sort of glorified by the name detective work.
Yes, yes, I guess so. I'm sorry.
Besides, your sister did want Mr. Valentine to take nothing for granted in this case.
Check everything for himself.
Well, actually, I suppose I'm the more daring partner in this team.
You see, I'm not the most
daring partner in this team. You see, there are things I want to do that Dan was holding back on.
Things that would take a great deal of the firm's money.
Yes? Come on, please.
Well, on this last trip around, Dan has been taking as much money away from the theaters as was feasible.
Usually, it had been forwarded here to the office,
but I presume Dan was sort of making sure I wouldn't get my hands on it to do anything impulsive.
I see.
Then by the time Mr. Creighton had gotten around to Ridgley Plains, he had quite a lot of money with him.
Yes, that's right.
Was this gathering up of the money purely one-sided, Mr. Collins?
After all, since you were partners...
I'm afraid I didn't realize what Dan was doing until very late.
I did beat him to the punch at the last place, Oliver.
Ridgley Plains?
Yes, Miss Brooks.
I was there the day before Dan came and disappeared.
Oh, the police know all about that.
I've been thoroughly checked and given a clean bill of health.
Still, to be brutally frank, Mr. Collins, you would benefit in a business sense if anything happened to Mr. Creighton.
To be brutally honest, Mr. Valentine, I'd benefit greatly.
But I wouldn't look for the seed of destruction in me.
Oh, so you know about that.
Well, after all, Edna and I heard the same proverb from the same grandmother.
Tell me, Mr. Collins, how did Mr. Creighton get around to those different movie houses?
Oh, his secretary, Paul Doerr, always drove him.
A nice young man.
Oh.
Well, I wonder if Mr. Doerr would have time to drive us to Ridgley Plains, Mr. Collins.
Why, yes, yes, I'm sure he would.
You see, Mr. Valentine, the truth of the matter is, I'm anxious for you to find my brother-in-law.
Ralph Holder, the manager of our theater there, he too will do everything he can to help you.
Mr. Creighton was standing just about here in the lobby when the phone call came.
Isn't that right, Mr. Holder?
That's right, Mr. Doerr.
It was just before noon.
The theater wasn't open yet, huh?
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir, it was about the same time as right now.
And as I get it, and Usher answered the phone and then told Mr. Creighton it was for him.
That's exactly what happened, Mr. Valentine.
The Usher Joe is around somewhere. I'll get him for you.
Thanks, Mr. Holder.
Mr. Doerr.
Yes, ma'am.
Strictly off the record, do you have any idea who the lady on the phone might have been?
As I understand it, you and Mr. Creighton have made periodic trips here to Ridgley Plains.
Why, I wouldn't know anything about Mr. Creighton's personal life or his friends.
I bet.
Would you venture a general opinion?
Oh, of course, sir.
Would you call Mr. Creighton to kind of phrase a gay dog?
I wouldn't say so.
This is Joe Richie, Miss Brooks, and Mr. Valentine.
How are you?
Mr. Valentine would like to ask a few questions, Joe.
Yeah, yeah, sure thing.
The lady who asked for Mr. Creighton when you answered the phone.
Hey, hey, sounded nice.
You have no idea who she was?
Eh, it's a funny thing.
Her voice sounded familiar, sort of.
I can't say I recognized her.
That's too bad.
Of course, she didn't say very much, just asked to talk to Mr. Creighton.
Eh, but from her voice.
I bet that day would be a lot of fun.
Yes, sir.
Joe.
Oh, sorry, miss.
Well, knowing Mr. Creighton, I mean...
What do you want, Joe?
What were you going to say?
Nothing, except that he always got around, if you know what I mean.
You're making it very clear, sonny.
Mr. Creighton was a very friendly man, and sometimes he would get lonely, but...
The night before, he sure made a play for Miss Barton.
Miss Barton?
Our cashier.
Lovely young lady.
I'm sure Mr. Creighton was being just friendly.
I know.
Anything else you want to know, Mr. Valentine?
No, no thanks.
You're welcome.
Anything else we can do?
Did Mr. Creighton say anything after the conversation with the mysterious lady?
Oh, yes, he told me to go on back to the city.
He'd join me there later.
And did you?
Yes, of course.
Now, it took you less than an hour to drive us out here, Paul.
He didn't get back to the city until four that afternoon.
I checked.
Oh.
Well, as a matter of fact, I didn't go right back.
I spent a couple of hours with a friend here.
Friend?
A girl, a lady.
Yes.
She has nothing to do with any of this.
There's no point in mentioning her name.
I won't.
All right, we were just curious.
And you, Mr. Holder, what did you do after Mr. Creighton left for his mystery?
Before his mysterious appointment.
I went home for lunch.
It's only a couple of blocks.
I always go home for lunch.
At one o'clock?
At what?
I checked.
Yes, that's right.
But you see, my wife was leaving town the next day and had some shopping to do, so I went earlier.
I see.
Your wife's been gone ever since.
Is that right, Mr. Holder?
Yes, sir.
They're visiting her family.
Any time you'd like me to drive you back to the city, Mr. Valentine.
I'll ask you, Paul.
Thanks.
Thanks very much.
Go out with Mr. Creighton?
No, sir.
Not this little girl.
I was just curious, Miss Barton.
I turned him down flat.
And I was with my roommate all the following day, so I didn't see him at all.
I know that.
I was just curious to get your opinion of Mr. Creighton more than anything else.
He was a wolf, mister.
The most dangerous kind.
Oh, it isn't that I'm afraid of anybody.
And if a nice man would ask me to go out, I'd be only too glad.
You've been a great help, Miss Barton.
Goodbye.
George, there's no question about Mrs. Holder leaving town the day after Mr. Creighton disappeared.
Everything checked?
Yes.
Mr. Holder was making plans to go to Chicago for quite some time, talked about them to the neighbors.
Mr. Holder bought her a ticket, drove her to the station.
What do the neighbors say she looked like?
Well, they say she was very pretty, younger than Mr. Holder, liked better things than he could get her on his salary.
Good work, Booksy.
I think we ought to see if we can find Lieutenant Johnson around, anyway.
That could very well be it, Valentine.
Creighton had a lot of money.
He had an eye for pretty women.
He and Mrs. Holder probably ended up somewhere in South America to save themselves the trouble of getting, shall we say, two divorces.
Well, it is up that way, doesn't it?
Poor Mrs. Creighton.
And I'm sorry for Mr. Holder, too.
Yeah, no wonder we couldn't find anybody.
Well, look high and low, I told you, the hardest thing in the world is to get rid of a body.
No, Johnson, you're wrong.
What?
To get rid of two bodies would be even harder.
We'll return to tonight's adventure of George Valentine in just a moment.
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A Susceptible and Wealthy Married Man
As a susceptible and wealthy married man, Dan Creighton disappears mysteriously after receiving a phone call from a lady.
And so you're hired by Mrs. Creighton to try and find him.
Well, you get to work and dig up enough evidence to give you a logical answer.
Creighton ran away with someone else who was straining at marital ties, Mrs. Holder, the wife of the manager of one of the movie theaters owned by Creighton.
So there it is, case solved.
But if your name is George Valentine, you seem to have reservations about accepting your own answer to the mystery.
And the only one who really shares your doubts is Mrs. Creighton.
I had to come here to Ridgeley Plains, Mr. Valentine. I just had to talk to you.
Of course, Mrs. Creighton. You're upsetting yourself, Edna.
Oh, you're very worried about me, my dear brother. But you would accept that lie about Dan and that Holder woman.
I know your pride is hurt, Edna, but the evidence. Look at the evidence.
Only a trusting soul like Ralph Holder wouldn't think anything wrong about not getting any letters from his wife.
Now it turns out she never even went to her folks. Dan would never leave me like that.
Yes, Edna.
Mr. Valentine.
Yes, Mrs. Creighton.
I want you to go right on working on this case. Dan and I will stay here at the hotel.
And I want you to remember what I said about the seed of destruction that lies deep within each criminal.
I remember.
There was foul play, and the criminal will give himself away. He must.
You're a very optimistic woman, Mrs. Creighton, but I'll do what I can.
Okay, Mr. Dore, Mr. Valentine's here. What's on your mind?
Well, I... I feel I must tell you the name of the woman I spent that afternoon with, Mr. Valentine.
Okay. Who was it?
Mrs. Holder.
The femme fatale of Ridgely Plains.
Keep talking, Paul.
I... I had a date with her. I picked her up after Mr. Holder had his lunch and went back to the theater.
We rode around, stopped for a drink, and on a little cabin the Holders have not far from here.
Nice girl. Kept her date with the kid here, met Creighton somewhere in Chicago the next day.
Uh-huh. I wonder.
The cartoon is on now, Mr. Valentine. We can talk here in the lobby.
The Mickey Mouse always goes over big here.
So I hear. Mr. Holder, was there any special reason for your wife's trip to Chicago?
Reason?
Well, now, you can be honest with me. I'm trying to get at the truth.
It's hard to know what truth is, isn't it?
Hmm. I thought Dottie really liked me. Maybe she didn't love me, but I thought she liked me.
I'm sure she did.
No, she didn't. Oh, she wasn't bad, but she liked to flirt. I thought a visit to her folks would do her good.
Maybe she'd miss me a little and things would be different between us.
Do you think she and Mr. Creighton ran away together?
I don't know what to think.
Oh, I kid myself, Mr. Valentine. Sure they ran away together.
They sure go big for Mickey Mouse.
I don't know what to expect to find here in Mrs. Holder's room, George.
Maybe nothing. Just curious about how she lived.
Yes, well, I had a job getting permission from the chief here.
After all, we're pretty sure now no crime has been committed.
But, Johnson, there are too many loose threads.
Like what?
Like Stanley Collins' pretty good motive for killing Creighton.
Now look here, Valentine.
I'm not making accusations. I'm just thinking out loud.
Certainly enough pictures of Dottie hold her around.
She liked herself.
And Mrs. Creighton isn't fooling anyone with all this talk of her husband's loyalty.
She knew him for what he was for a long time.
Valentine, stop making a mystery of everything.
Well, this would be Dottie's closet, I suppose.
Brilliant deduction.
Not much left in here.
A couple of old dresses she probably didn't think were worth taking.
We're wasting our time.
Look, Valentine, Mrs. Johnson is expecting me home for dinner.
That's fine.
What is, darling?
These shoes. Look.
They're brand new.
Yeah, so what?
So, why didn't Dottie take them along?
Yeah, that is funny.
She probably bought them for this trip.
Just a minute.
Now what are you looking for?
Not here.
Not here at all.
George, if you don't stop acting so mysterious...
Excuse me a minute, Angel. I've got to make a phone call.
Yes, but George...
Hey, what was the number of the movie house again?
Oh, yeah, here it is.
What do you expect Holder to tell you?
Just what Mrs. Holder took with her.
No man ever pays enough attention to know.
Maybe, but I...
Hello, may I speak to...
Oh, it's you, Holder.
No, nothing really new.
I was just wondering if you know what Mrs. Holder took with her in the way of clothes.
Uh-huh. I see.
Oh, her brother has a clothing store in Chicago.
Oh, yes, it's just that we found a brand new pair of shoes in Mrs. Holder's closet,
and we were wondering why she didn't take them.
Yeah, I guess so.
Forgot them, yeah, maybe.
All right, thanks, Mr. Holder.
Well, what do you think you accomplished?
She took only a couple of handbags, a few dresses, some underthings, some toilet articles. That's all.
So?
Her brother has a clothing store. She was going to get a lot of new things there.
Okay, okay. So what do we do now?
Well, we wait a little while for the seed of destruction to begin to sprout.
Then we go to work.
George, I don't think there's anybody around here at all.
Oh, now don't you be a cynic, Angel.
We lost the good lieutenant to the lure of Mrs. Johnson's famous corned beef and cabbage. That's enough.
Oh, I'm the true blue-tite, George. I figure it out.
Even though I don't know why.
No lights in the house.
No car anywhere around.
Just as I said, no nothing.
Well, let's see now. You might as well sit out here on the porch, Angel.
What are you going to do?
Look around for signs of freshly dug earth.
Oh. Oh, maybe I will just sit here.
I'll be back after a while, books.
Oh, great.
Well, at least I can have a cigarette. Relax a little.
Oh, my feet hurt.
I wouldn't bother to sit down, Mrs. Holder.
Oh, Mr. Holder.
Quiet, please.
I wouldn't want to kill you just yet, but I will if you force me to.
Oh, I... I never argue with anybody who has a gun. Never.
Please go inside.
Oh.
No. No, we won't put on any lights.
We'll just sit here in the dark and wait.
Wait for what?
For Mr. Valentine to come back.
But why?
You mustn't think I'm a fool, Miss Brooks.
I know Mr. Valentine suspects me.
Ever since he mentioned that pair of shoes, I knew I'd have to kill him.
Both of you.
I don't know what you're talking about.
I found the place where ground was freshly dug.
Find it sooner or later.
My own place was the only one where I could work safely, wasn't it?
You... you killed both Mr. Creighton and your wife.
I killed him first.
I knew he had all that money.
I saw him flirt with the cashier, and I knew he'd been watching Dottie.
So I made her call him at the theater.
Came over to the house.
I killed him.
But if your wife...
I hated her.
I knew I could never trust her, so I had to protect myself, didn't I?
Didn't I?
Oh, sure, sure.
I'd already made plans for her to go to Chicago.
Everybody knew it.
So I took her here and...
She didn't even like me anymore.
I had to kill her.
What are you... what are you going to do now?
In a minute, I'll open the door and let Mr. Valentine in.
I must protect myself against everybody.
No.
I have money now.
I need time.
Come on with me, Miss Brooks, to the door.
Please, Mr. Cody, you can't go on killing me.
Don't be such an impatient young man, Mr. Valentine. I'm coming.
So I see what's going...
George!
Drop the gun now.
I said drop it!
That's a nice boy.
I'll kill you. I'll kill you.
Just go along quietly or I'll carry on.
I... yes.
Yes, I'll come along.
George, did you... did you hear what...
Yeah, I heard enough.
The doorbell.
It's still ringing.
I thought I was safe as long as I heard you ring the doorbell.
Yes, George, how did you know...
Shades of Halloween, a pin in the bell.
The seed of destruction can take all sorts of shapes, can't it?
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She meant nothing to Dan.
I must believe that.
Always.
That's right, Mrs. Creighton.
He still loves me.
He...
Well, here is your check, Mr. Valentine, and thanks for everything you've done.
I'm sorry I couldn't have brought you happier news.
Oh, I wanted the truth.
Well, my brother is waiting for me.
Goodbye, Miss Brooks. Mr. Valentine.
Goodbye.
That poor woman.
You know, George, I still don't quite understand that business about the pair of shoes.
Well, I was only part of it, Brooksie.
It's what I didn't find in Mrs. Holder's closet that really got me thinking.
Well, I didn't find any bedroom slippers.
And Holder didn't mention her taking a pair along.
Now, a woman has at least one pair of slippers.
We found them on her body.
Holder thought his wife was all ready for the train when he killed her.
He didn't notice she was still wearing her slippers.
That's why she didn't take her new shoes.
And that also meant she was killed before she left the house.
The little things we overlook.
Yeah.
Well, maybe there is something in that German proverb, the seed of destruction.
Come on, George, come on.
Where are you going? What's the hurry?
Well, look at the time. I made dinner. It's waiting.
Oh, okay, okay. Take it easy.
Well, take it easy. Nothing.
There's a good American proverb that might work also.
The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.
Are you coming, George?
Tonight's Transcribed Adventure of George Valentine is brought to you by Standard Oil Company of California.
On behalf of independent Chevron gas stations and standard stations throughout the West,
Robert Daly is starred as George with Virginia Gregg as Bruxy.
Let George Do It was written by David Victor and directed by Kenneth Lipp.
Ken Christie was heard as Lieutenant Johnson.
Joyce Manners as Edna.
Stephen Chase as Ralph.
Rolland Morris as Paul.
Tom McKee as Stan.
And Karen Steele as Miss Barton.
The music by Gaylord Carter.
Your announcer, John Heston.
Listen again next week, same time, same station, to Let George Do It.
Let George Do It is heard overseas through the worldwide facilities of the Armed Forces Radio Service.
Sam Hayes suggests that whatever you have for your daily breakfast, you flavor it with a generous serving of news.
It's a good way to start the day, a nourishing breakfast under your belt and the latest news stories under your hat.
The place to get those latest news stories is on the Breakfast News, broadcast at 7.45 a.m. each Monday through Saturday over this Don Lee station.
That's 7.45 Monday through Saturday.
This is the Mirchwood Don Lee Broadcasting System.